Man shot, critically wounded in robbery among 7 shot overnight

Police investigate a shooting early this morning in the 8400 block of South Morgan Street. (WGN-TV)

A 36-year-old man was shot in the chest and critically wounded after he pushed a robber who demanded his money early today in the Lawndale neighborhood, police said.

The victim was one of at least seven people shot late Monday and early today in Chicago, including one who was expected to be charged with battery after spitting on a paramedic who was trying to treat him, police said.

The 36-year-old man was walking about 2:35 a.m. in the 3600 block of West Douglas Boulevard with a 37-year-old woman he knows, said Chicago Police Department News Affairs Officer Robert Perez. They were heading to the woman's nearby home when a blue minivan pulled up near them.

A man with a gun jumped out of the van and demanded the man's money, and the man pushed the gunman, Perez said. The gunman started shooting and the man's friend ran for cover.

The woman heard several shots and when she returned after the van drove off, she found her friend, shot in the chest and lying on the sidewalk. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition.

Central Area detectives were investigating and had no one in custody. News Affairs did not have a detailed description of the robber and the other man in the minivan.

Earlier, about 12:47 a.m., a 22-year-old man was shot in the arm in the 9300 block of South Paxton Avenue in the Calumet Heights neighborhood, but became belligerent with officers who responded to a call of shots fired in the area, Perez said. The man also became combative with medical personnel who responded to the scene and spat on a paramedic.

The man was taken to Advocate Trinity Hospital for treatment. Neither he nor three other people who were with him when he was shot would cooperate with police, and he was expected to be charged with battery, Perez said.

Monday night, two teenagers were shot in playlots in separate incidents.

A little before 8:45 p.m. in the South Chicago neighborhood area, a 17-year-old boy looked out of his house and saw gang members across the street from his home shouting slogans, police said. A few minutes later, the boy walked out to nearby Russell Park, 8388 S. Bond Ave., and suffered a graze wound to the buttocks in a shooting.

The boy was treated in good condition at South Shore Hospital. The shooting was believed to be related to an ongoing gang conflict in the area, police said.

About 10:10 p.m. in the Grand Crossing neighborhood, an 18-year-old man was walking through a playlot in the 7400 block of South Dante Avenue to a grocery store near 75th Street and Stony Island Avenue, when three young men came up to him, shouting gang slogans, police said. One of them shot the man in the abdomen, and they fled on foot, after which the man ran for help.

The man's condition was stabilized at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

Earlier, a 22-year-old man was shot in the arm and leg about 11:40 p.m. in the 4200 block of West Wilcox Avenue in the West Garfield Park neighborhood. The man was walking to his car in an alley when someone came up to him and shot him.

The man drove to the 3400 block of West Madison Street, where he flagged down someone and police were called. His condition was stabilized at John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County.

About 2:20 a.m. in the Gresham neighborhood, a man, age 20, was walking with a woman he knows when they heard gunshots and he was struck in the head in the 8400 block of South Morgan Street, Perez said. Officers who responded found the victim lying on the ground, with the woman nearby.

He was taken to Advocate Christ Medical Center, where he was in serious condition.

Finally, a man was shot in the hand in the 7700 block of North Paulina Street in Rogers Park about 3:20 a.m. in what was believed to be a drive-by shooting. He was being treated at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston.